Is Lakers' LeBron James playing against the Pelicans?

Scott Rafferty

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Is Lakers' LeBron James playing against the Pelicans? image

LeBron James has played his last game of the 2021-22 NBA season. Or has he? 

On Friday, April 1, the Lakers star tweeted that he's officially out for the remainder of the season, adding "see y'all in the fall." April 1, of course, is April Fools' Day, leaving many on social media wondering whether or not to believe King James.

James has missed two straight games with an ankle sprain he suffered in the team's loss to the Pelicans on March 27. The Lakers have only six games remaining on their schedule so it wouldn't be a complete shock if he was ruled out for the rest of the season — James said after the game that his ankle felt "horrible," for what it's worth — but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that James is "hopeful to test out his ankle sprain and try to make a return to the lineup" on Friday when the Lakers face the Pelicans once again.

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Not only that, but the timing of James' tweet raised some eyebrows, as many insiders were quick to point that out.

Proving that LeBron was only joking, the Lakers announced right before tipoff of Friday's matchup against the Pelicans that James would be playing.

The Lakers enter Friday's meeting with the Pelicans with a 31-45 record on the season, placing them 11th in the Western Conference. They have the same record as the Spurs in 10th, but with San Antonio owning the tiebreaker, Los Angeles will have to finish one game ahead to jump it in the standings and qualify for the Play-In Tournament. The Lakers trail the Pelicans in ninth place by two games, so a win on Friday would help them close the gap with New Orleans as well.

James has been impressive when healthy, leading the league with an average of 30.1 points per game to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists on 52.3 percent shooting from the field.

Lakers remaining schedule

According to Tankathon, the Lakers have the third-hardest remaining schedule in the league.

Date Opponent Time
April 1 vs. Pelicans 10:30 p.m.
April 3 vs. Nuggets 3:30 p.m.
April 5 at Suns 10:30 p.m.
April 7 at Warriors 10:00 p.m.
April 8 vs. Thunder 10:30 p.m.
April 10 at Nuggets TBD

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.